Now that Google has re-opened their online devices store, it appears the Nexus brand is here to stay. Google typically releases a new Nexus device every year, so speculation has already begun about who will produce the 4th generation Nexus phone.

According to Digitimes sources, Samsung has won the contract for Google’s next phone. They report, “Since Samsung has become the top vendor of Android smartphones, Google will continue to have Samsung develop its next-generation Nexus models, leveraging Samsung’s innovation ability with regard to the Android platform, and its ability to control the supply of key components.”

We anticipate that Google wants to launch their 4th gen Nexus in Q4 2012, so look for the device to be a spin-off of the Galaxy S III. Samsung is scheduled to unveil the next Galaxy on May 3rd, so we don’t have much longer to wait.

As always, I’m curious what you think about Google’s pick. Which handset maker would you choose to produce the next Nexus?

Taylor is the founder of Android and Me. He resides in Dallas and carries the Samsung Galaxy S 4 and HTC One as his daily devices. Ask him a question on Twitter or Google+ and he is likely to respond. | Ethics statement

I really liked the build quality of the HTC Nexus one. I put it through hell and back having dropped it over a dozen times while working and it held up. I like the build of the Samsung one too though. The thing i like about Samsung is it’s always a solid build with some tweaks, whereas the latest HTC phones look pretty similar with different colors.

I’d be happy with both honestly but what i CAN tell you is that i will never buy another Nexus phone on a carrier. I’m glad they opened the store back up because my next and future Nexus devices will be directly from Google.

You could also switch from Verizon to someone else (says a fellow Verizon gNex owner). I suspected there was going to be a problem when I saw Verizon usurped Google’s name for their own on the back (anyone know where to find a battery cover that looks and fits the same, but with Google’s name in it’s rightful place?).

Ya, I have a VZ nexus and I realized that I badly want to switch to a T-Mobile prepaid plan with the $400 off contract nexus from Google. However, I’m locked into verizon until late ’13 :(
The question is, is the ETF worth it….

I’m not so happy with Samsung. Two years in a row now they’ve basically released a stock version of the galaxy s, only 6 months later and in a new case, and called it the nexus.

Currently the nexus is at the wrong end of the hardware upgrade cycle, nexus s came out just before dual-core, galaxy nexus just before quad core etc. I want to see the nexus pushing hardware forwards as well as software again just like with the nexus one!

I agree. I feel the Nexus line should be the bleeding edge of technology in addition to the stock flavor of android. Likewise, I really don’t enjoy that you pretty much described it dead on.

The Nexus S was just a Galaxy S with stock gingerbread and the Nexus Galaxy was simply a Galaxy S II with stock ICS. Whats worst is that certain components of the Nexus Galaxy were actually worst than on the GSII. There was no reason that the Nexus Galaxy should have had a worst camera than its older relatives.

Like the original Nexus One, I really love to see a phone that pushes the envelope not only in software but in hardware as well.

As a former owner of a HTC Passion (Nexus One) and a current owner of the Galaxy Nexus, I can’t tell you how much better the build quality on the Samsung is.

Samsung generally excel in hardware and blow chunks in software, having them make the Nexus phones works out perfectly because you get the raw cooked build of the latest Android source code running on awesome hardware instead of hiding behind Touchwiz, which is just messy.

I also own the Nexus One and the Galaxy Nexus. It’s amazing to me how much better the build quality is on the Nexus One versus Galaxy Nexus. GN feels like a toy, while the Nexus One has solid weight and held up over two years of use. I don’t see the GN holding up that long.

As a current Nexus One owner, I have to disagree with you, having to send the phone back to HTC cause the touch digitiser broke, then having the same thing happen 3 months later, would cast doubt on it being a solidly constructed phone.

Second, I can’t even tell you how many times the power button has broke on my phone and how many times I’ve had to send it back, to have it replace. My phone is still on warranty more than two years later with their policy of a 3 month extension on things they’ve had to repair.

The Nexus One was very decent, won’t knock that one, the Nexus S wasn’t quite there yet IMO but the Galaxy Nexus is simply amazing all around. The weight, build and shape just feels perfect. Well, I guess your mileage does vary…

I do like the Nexus name. I don’t really mind simple number iterations, either. I’d assume they would call it the Nexus 4 if it weren’t for the stigma of sounding like they’re 1 or 2 steps behind the iPhone.

I’d be okay with that if they hadn’t made the Nexus 7, or at least named it something that distinguishes it as a tablet (Nexus Tab 7).
The nexus names are – at this point – too arbitrary to go back to simple numbering.

I’m pretty disappointed in this announcement though. The NS and Gnex are both really nice devices (and gnex is great with jellybean) but as others have pointed out Samsung doesn’t generally work too hard to push the envelope for the nexus devices. They just throw stock on a phone they have, downgrade the camera, call it a nexus and ship – all while working on their next awesomely specced branded device with touchwiz.

At this point it seems like samsung is just EXPECTING to be told to build it, and they don’t need to compete, and I don’t think that’s what the original intent of the nexus program was.

As someone that actually owned a Droid charge and currently has a gnex, there is no comparison. The minor bugs that can be frustrating and irritating do not hold a candle to how bad a phone the charge was.

You might want to move out of the country for the REAL Nexus experience. Google has already explained the issue with these US-carrier backed Nexus devices. I’m just going to buy my next Nexus str8 from Google, and hopefully its $400 again — cop that in a heartbeat!

The world uses GSM, so it only makes sense that Google would only make the true Nexus a GSM phone. Verizon is big but not that big. Plus if you’ve been following what T-Mobile has up their sleeves, you would make the jump sooner than later. A LTE network that falls back onto their HSPA+ network is going to be much faster that Verizons network. T-Mobile will rise out of the Ashes of the failed AT&T merger (thank God). And be a force to be reckoned with.

It’s not just that: GSM is a standard that’s built for interoperability, and it’s generally a more ‘open’ standard that doesn’t tie you to a carrier. Once a phone is certified as GSM compliant, you can pop in your SIM (from any network you like) and off you go. This is far more in line with the Nexus ideal than CDMA devices which are generally tied to, and will only work with, one carrier.

Granted there exists SIM-locked phones, but they can be unlocked, and you get this only if you buy a phone on contract, which is effectively a kind of hire-purchase so it’s not really your phone until the contract’s up. Buy off-contract and it’s unlocked from the get-go.

The Galaxy Nexus is the best example yet of this carrier-independent mobility, as its pentaband radio will work on pretty much any GSM network out there.

How did Samsung get the contract of another nexus phone I want the next nexus phone to be made by HTC ever since the first nexus one. Samsung made the nexus s and the galaxy nexus already its time for other cellphone manufacturer to have a chance on the nexus train especially HTC lol. But whatever if its not LG I’m good.

I like Samsung, but I would have liked to have seen someone else to get the contract. I think the Nexus phone is a chance to show off hardware and software in harmony… Samsung has had their go and been successful. But, in the name of what makes Android what it is (a wide choice of hardware options) I would like to see the hardware come from another manufacturer.

I agree, even though I have to admit that I’m a huge fan of Samsung’s mobile offerings since the original Galaxy S.
Generally, the thought of Samsung hardware and pure Google software fills me with bliss but I still would rather see a bit of a “round robin” scheme so the other manufacturers get their turn as well.
Variety and choice is always best for consumers in the end, which is why things shouldn’t go stale.

Dare I say Motorola? The OG Droid was still one of the best phones ever made. And was essentially a Nexus device before they existed. And now that Google owns Moto, it should be simple to make a phone that is the model for all others!

Seriously. What was the point of buying them, other than the patents?! If you own a handset manufacturer, make the best damn possible hardware and software to work together without bugs and make the software updates syncrinous across all carriers like Apple does.

Because you lose choice. Everything woud be cookie cutter. All manufactures have different devices that makes their phone experience unique from the others which makes syncrinous software updates pretty impossible. It’s a small treade off for indidual expression as it pertains to modifying your phone.

Using Moto right now would just piss off all the other OEMs. While I believe Google has bigger plans for Motor than just using the patents (a cheaper licensing deal would have solved the patent issue), I don’t think using Motor for a Nexus device any time soon is good idea.

Samsung is actually a much larger company than Google by several orders of magnitude. Furthermore, they have a huge, varied portfolio of products while Google is basically only information technology. Samsung Group’s revenue last year was $221 Billion while Google’s was only about $40 Billion. Google couldn’t buy Samsung if they wanted to.

I understand exactly how CDMA works and the need for proprietary binaries. Doesn’t mean that Verizon can’t take the update from Google when its released, recompile it with their binaries and push it out.

There was no need for the CDMA/LTE Nexus to be delayed as much as it was because of bloatware and/or Google Wallet issues that Verizon didn’t like.

Really? Were going off speculation from Digitime? Where Jelly Bean hasn’t even been shown. Which means no phone maker has a prototype to even demo. Oh and HTC is making a FB phone and the iPhone 5 is coming this summer. Stop making crap up.

I love Samsung and it is my favorite manufacturer in a number of things. But I just feel they should let another one have a shot. Since the looks of the Big G doing something with Moto seem far, I would have to say my pick would be HTC.

Yeah, feeling the same. Although I think they have to treat extremely carefully about being seen as favoring Moto for a while yet. I can totally see them get the next Nexus after the very next one though, and I would have expected LG or HTC getting a run rather than sticking with Samsung.

This is disappointing. The Galaxy Nexus was a great phone, but not really any better than the HTC Rezound. HTC has shown just as much innovation as Samsung and should be the next to manufacture a Nexus device.

All Motorola devices can become Nexus devices if they use stock Android. The updates would have to come from Google anyway, since they own it now. So yeah. Just not sure if they will do that, which would be pretty silly if they didn’t and kept customizing Motorola’s devices.

I look forward to the next Samsung nexus only because it’s hard to imagine dropping my galaxy nexus for anything right now…so maybe a similar step forward from them will be a good next choice.

From a fairness perspective it seems problematic though. I thought really everyone would get a turn at this. I expect Samsung is exerting their influence to lock this down from other companies (SAMOLED mostly as every nexus so far has had it, seems to be kinda a standard)

The problem with using samsung is they make the Nexus phones when a month later release a better & higher spec phone that kills the sales of the Nexus. Not sure if it Google’s fault for not asking for better specs, or Samsung that keeps its new chips, camera sensors Hidden from google?

I would prefer a Mototola Nexus, but I guess Google did not choose Motorola for this Nexus (maybe the following nexus) because the other manufactures would have cried fix because they are now owned by google????

I like Sammy a lot. I just hope its not to much of a spin off. Try and break the barrier with specs that couldn’t make this years summer phones because it wasn’t ready and give it to the Nexus. Other wise rooting any Galaxy phone including the S III and slapping a stock ICS or Jelly Bean ROM would be the same.

I’m a Samsung fan, and I’d like to see someone else get the next Nexus. Sammy has already had two in a row, so I think it would be good to see someone else take a crack at it. If Google is going to start enabling this phone to be bought off contract, directly from them, this will be awesome.

Is there anyway they could make two models, one for GSM and one for CDMA? Is that even possible? That way, all four major US carriers could have access to a pure Google phone.

1) not exactly THE stellar source…
2) It’s Nexus…not samsungus….support for updates to the Nexus line has declined for all Samsung phones in the lineage…
3) Despite gripes….Samsung is leading the Android pack and the others are scrambling to keep up.
4) Nexus…..some manufacturer variety would be nice.

I would have liked to see another OEM get the next Nexus as well, that being said I love my Galaxy Nexus and can’t wait to see what Samsung will do with the next nexus. I’d love to see that new Youm screen on a Nexus!

Really, Google? How about HTC or Sony or, shocker, Moto? Guess the Nexus “brand” really is dead. This was the perfect opportunity to pull the Nexus in-house and take a more Apple-like approach to it, especially since they’re once again selling phones directly to consumers. At the end of the day, I suppose it’s only about dollars and cents, and you certainly can’t argue with Samsung’s Galaxy line sales numbers…

Samsung makes the best phones.From what i hear,there chips and screens r the best in the biz,why go backwards.Im a big sammy fan tho…lol
But thats why apple looks to sammy 75% of there,products(ipad iphone)is made by sammy(the most major things like chips and screens

I suppose the biggest bummer if this rumor is true…..is that it would be a Galaxy S III variant Nexus, not a unique* device that pushes the envelope…….and that Verizon would do the same again – no GSIII, Verizoned Nexus..

Note…*unique…hasn’t really come to the Nexus line in the past – Nexus S probably closest due to NFC, “curve” and Nexus 1 was a Desire….

I think it will atleast come with A15 Dual-Core, and i might just be getting my hopes up, but it would be awesome if they kinda got A15 Quad Core as that would hit that magical timing the Nexus One had at the time.

Like a lot of people have said, I’ll echo the sentiments of wanting a truly pure Good experience. Last time around, Verizon still slapped some of their terrible apps and add-ons over stock Android and deviated from the Nexus philosophy. Chances are, they’ll do it again, but I can still hold out hope for the next Nexus being what its supposed to be.

In all real honesty, this seems to be the best choice with Motorola locking bootloaders (and obvious publicity reasons on Google’s part), HTC thinking that “slim is in,” and giving LG a chance? Really? Samsung has been consistent with the Galaxy S line and the hype and anticipation surrounding the GSIII. This is Google capitalizing on all the momentum it can get.

To all those saying that Google should “give other manufacturers a chance,” keep in mind that they probably did. From everything that I’ve heard about the Nexus program, multiple manufacturers create designs and submit spec sheets and from those Google chooses one to become the next Nexus. If Google has indeed chosen Samsung, it’s not a reluctance to give others a chance, it’s a sign that Samsung was simply the best.

HTC had one major flaw, the non removable battery in the One series will turn a lot of people off. What will you do when the phone freezes up on you? Can’t take the battery out and restart it. I guess just cross your fingers and hold down the power button and hope it reboots before your finger starts to hurt. Love the look of HTC phones but let me take the battery out please.

Thank you! I can’t believe how many people are crying foul over the lack of a removable battery. Tablets are just as susceptible to lockups as phones are, and they don’t have removable batteries. Holding the power button for x seconds to disengage a hardware circuit is nothing new.

I was really hoping for htc. But since htc would have taken out sense out since nexus phones are completely android its not really a big deal. Now the biggest thing for me is battery life and bootloader unlocking. The better the battery life the more of a chance of me choosing that phone.

I wish each of the big OEM’s each came out with their own “nexus” with stock android and whatever specs they wanted to put in it. I think going that route could really be great for every manufacturer. I mean imagine if you had the choice between 3-4 stock devices that received updates right from Google. One can dream anyway.

I love Samsung devices and I believe they have the ability to deliver but I hope that this time around they put a little more effort on the nexus because the last time around the Galaxy S II was far superior to the Galaxy Nexus…

This makes me curious/excited to see what’s next. Next January i will be up for an upgrade. And with the iPhone 5 due i might bid farewell to Android. But if the next Nexus is kick ass (and out on sprint) then who knows… i might bein the market

Didn’t Google say they would be passing it around, or am I having false memories? Man its like Samsung can do no wrong these days. I really hope they improve their build quality moving forward. Its not like they’re short on revenue. Yet you have HTC, who has actually been hurting lately, still putting more into the physical build of their phones, and even taking it a step further with the One S.

I really do find it funny how people call plastic cheap. It shows that you truly know nothing about it. There are many types of plastic some are very cheap others more expensive then metals. The upside to choosing plastics is the durability of the device. Plastics tend to absorb impacts better and are generally lighter and easier to use in a manufacturing process. Metals tend to crack or fracture when subject to impact (this does depend on the metal but I can’t see them using titanium on a phone). In short plastics or other composite materials are generally going to be better for this type of device.

I find it funny how eager people are to defend plastic, even when it’s not under attack. Did you read the post you were replying to? “Cheap feeling plastic” does not imply that all plastic is cheap. You could’ve saved yourself a long rant. Nokia and HTC are using nice plastics, Samsung is not. I say this as an owner of a Galaxy Nexus.

Even besides that, Samsung has absolutely no sense of design whatsoever, which is the main reason I want HTC to return to making Nexus phones. But that’s probably not going to happen.

I would like to see a combo Nexus HTC to design the outer shell since I still would take the first NExus on looks alone then you could have Samsung throw in the Screen and CPU GPU and let Motorola drop in the antenna radio and we should have a great Nexus

Wish Sony would be given a chance, their phones are beautifuly designed and they make great cameras.
Im a GS2 user and am loving it, Samsung make incredible hardware, despite being many months older than the Galaxy Nexus the GS2 has the better CPU/GPU, camera, more memory plus expansion etc…thanks to Samsung going all out with it, but its time Google hand over the Nexus name to Sony or even back to Htc.

You have got to be kidding me. Sony? Talk about crap. Might as well hand it over to Motorola or LG while were at it right? There are two competitors in the Android world and that is Samsung and HTC Period!!

I started with Android from day one. I had the G1 and loved it but wished it didn’t have a keyboard (but the opening contraption was kind of cool). The build quality on it was pretty damn good and I loved using it. Then, I got the nexus one when it came out. Again, the build quality was amazing, but I feel there were other phones on the market at the time with more impressive screens. Either way, that phone also had great build quality… I wish the metal kept getting carried over though because its a nice design element and it much harder to scratch (I always keep my phones in top shape so I can sell them when the new one comes out so this was important to me). Following the cycle, I got the nexus s, though I hesitated in buying it for a while because of build materials and scale of upgrades when compared to the nexus one. I recently sold that phone on eBay so I was really able to give it a good once over before I sold it. Because of the build materials it used, it was prone to scratches, (especially the back cover). I wasn’t so eager to get the galaxy nexus but here I am, I got the white one. The build quality is much improved over the nexus s and it gives me a much more positive view of samsung. So, I guess I would just be satisfied having Samsung building the next one. To bring me to a higher level of satisfaction, id like to have an HTC build quality phone to call my own nexus.

It would be pretty interesting to see what Google and Asus would come up with for a phone. We hopefully don’t have to wait much longer to see what they come up with for a tablet though. Bring on the Nexus tablet!!

Wrong y’ALL!I’d have liked MOTO to have built the next Nexus.U can’t fault the RAZR Maxx as a smartphone.Galaxy phones don’t come CLOSE.Neither in battery stand-by,neither in build-quality.Not to mention Sammy’s Horrific Widgets(the Orange Contact widget!yuck!).Also the RAZR’s UNIQUE shape makes it stand apart from the Samsungs ANY day!

I think Google is choosing Samsung not because Samsung is the top vendor. It is because Google is afraid Samsung can ditch Android with their new OS called Tizen. That’s why Google chose Samsung again and if Samsung keeps developing Tizen during next year Google maybe will choose Samsung one more time.

This is a great choice made by Google. Samsung has earned these opportunities and clearly the Galaxy S3 impressed many at google plex. Just keep it off Verizon and sell it from day one on the Google Play store. All other devices i have ever owned have been all CDMA devices time for a change. I kick sprint to the curb and now verizon also will be ditched. Plus Verizon will never see another Nexus device again. Google knows better this time around to deal with Verizon. No carrier will ever be bigger than Google/Android Verizon needs to read that memo. Piss on big red and that trolling gay college boy squiddy20..Ha ha ha…

Here we go again…
1. “No carrier will ever be bigger than Google/Android” Newsflash: Google/Android are not “carriers”. Carriers are the likes of Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon, AT&T, Metro PCS, Cricket, etc. And you told me I needed to be “better educated”. Ha. Okay. Whatever you say “O Intelligent One”.
2. “All other devices i have ever owned have been all CDMA devices” …and yet you’ve said you owned a Galaxy S II Skyrocket (for about 4 weeks) from AT&T, a GSM carrier. Could you be any more contradictory and stupid?
3. Again with the “piss on x” insult? Good lord you must really have a scat and pissing fetish, because that’s all you ever really talk about doing. Here’s an “intelligent” idea, why don’t you start talking like an adult instead of a 6 year old child? Maybe then people would actually take you seriously.

Richard, I will try once, and only once more to try to reason with you. Rather than acting like an asshole to everyone, and using threats that any thinking man would never use (at least under his real name), why don’t you just say “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to offend any racial group, people of various sexual orientations, or to call people bums, broke losers, and the way I’ve acted.”
I can’t speak for everyone, but I think I can speak for a lot of people when i say that if you stopped trying to be a know-it-all-know-nothing-jerk, you acted somewhat humble, and asked for actual advice rather than “I’m doing serious research”, people would help you. Hell, I would help you. If you did, I could pretty much guarantee that everyone who flames you, would actually help you with a tech issue, and walk you through it. Everyone needs to start somewhere. If you do own a GNex, force updates, are incredibly easy, and rooting one isn’t hard either. A lot of people have went from noobs to coders that way. You could at least have people who wanted to help you because you were nice to people.
I’m more than likely wasting my time, but this is the one and only offer to knock off the BS and act like a grown man. Before you automatically respond with a typical Richard Yarrell repsone, try to really think about this. I really don’t want to take the other path, not because I like you, but becauise if something happens to you (which it will), I can live with a clear conscience knowing that I really did try.

Here we go again…
1. “No carrier will ever be bigger than Google/Android” Newsflash: Google/Android are not “carriers”. Carriers are the likes of Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon, AT&T, Metro PCS, Cricket, etc. And you told me I needed to be “better educated”. Ha. Okay. Whatever you say “O Intelligent One”.
2. “All other devices i have ever owned have been all CDMA devices” …and yet you’ve said you owned a Galaxy S II Skyrocket (for about 4 weeks) from AT&T, a GSM carrier. Could you be any more contradictory and stupid?
3. Again with the “piss on x” insult? Good lord you must really have a scat and pissing fetish, because that’s all you ever really talk about doing. Here’s an “intelligent” idea, why don’t you start talking like an adult instead of a 6 year old child? Maybe then people would actually take you seriously.

One of my FAVORITE things about the Nexus one was the awesome little case it came with, i dont know what it was made from but that thing was amazing! It was’nt to think and was still a bit squishy, and it was slightly water proof! Over the 2 years i had that phone there was not a scratch on the screen. Whereas My Galaxy Nexus already has a couple of tiny scratchs and i still havent found a similar case for it!
I dont care about the manufacturer! I just wasnt a awesome pouch!

The only reason Google picked Samsung is to show the strongest Android maker that they are not favoring Motorola.

The choice is only between Samsung and HTC as the other manufacturers are not up to quality spec yet. LG has to many problems, Motorola would show favoring their new child and anger other manufacturers. Sony making beautiful phones but only single core so not up to high end phones. And the other manufacturers only make low end phones do if they make a nexus it won’t sell as much.

well being that the whole idea of the nexus phone is a nex gen phone for developers to tinker with, samsung’s hardware is more “open” than htc’s selection (im a htc fan btw)…its qualcomm(closed) vs samsung (open)… as far as information on hardware for the developers to work on… thats why you find the galaxy line of phones with “unbrickable mods”… data sheets on samsung’s hardware is out in the open for developers and all to see, which leads to a better phone to develop with… qualcomm+nvidia will never do that and so if htc want to get back the nexus title they’ll have to show google they can make a device worthy of the nexus title… htc should go for texas instrument’s omap processor (which motorolla keeps locked down) because its open and very competitive in the soc wars… open hardware+open os (android of course)+unlocked phone = nexus brand imo…

come on now… Give someone else a chance HTC litterly MADE YOU Android and Motorola Progressed you well actually Verizon did with its Droid branding… But really IMO the Nexus One was one of the BEST! Phones ever…. Give another shot HTC is great without sense.

While Samsung does have a nice overall aesthetic, it is starting to get old and boring. I would really like to see someone new. Sony would be my pick. The New Xperia S is a pretty sweet looking phone. If they were given the chance to make the Jellybean phone I’d be happy.

I have own all three nexus devices. But far, my favorite was the htc nexus one as I had and used it the longest. The overall feel and build quality was really good at the time. I think with the galaxy nexus, Samsung didn’t push it the hardware enough, it has a cheap feel to it. I wouldn’t mind seeing Sony make a nexus device, their phones lineup are looking pretty good now.

I personally think HTC should had the chance….i think Googkle is rolling with Sammie on this because of the success the company been having of last year…If Samsung keeps rolling like this then there you have it til another company come close to their numbers.

I really liked the build quality of the HTC Nexus one. I put it through hell and back having dropped it over a dozen times while working and it held up. I like the build of the Samsung one too though. The thing i like about Samsung is it’s always a solid build with some tweaks, whereas the latest HTC phones look pretty similar with different colors.

I’d be happy with both honestly but what i CAN tell you is that i will never buy another Nexus phone on a carrier. I’m glad they opened the store back up because my next and future Nexus devices will be directly from Google.

You could also switch from Verizon to someone else (says a fellow Verizon gNex owner). I suspected there was going to be a problem when I saw Verizon usurped Google’s name for their own on the back (anyone know where to find a battery cover that looks and fits the same, but with Google’s name in it’s rightful place?).

Ya, I have a VZ nexus and I realized that I badly want to switch to a T-Mobile prepaid plan with the $400 off contract nexus from Google. However, I’m locked into verizon until late ’13 :(
The question is, is the ETF worth it….

I’m not so happy with Samsung. Two years in a row now they’ve basically released a stock version of the galaxy s, only 6 months later and in a new case, and called it the nexus.

Currently the nexus is at the wrong end of the hardware upgrade cycle, nexus s came out just before dual-core, galaxy nexus just before quad core etc. I want to see the nexus pushing hardware forwards as well as software again just like with the nexus one!

I agree. I feel the Nexus line should be the bleeding edge of technology in addition to the stock flavor of android. Likewise, I really don’t enjoy that you pretty much described it dead on.

The Nexus S was just a Galaxy S with stock gingerbread and the Nexus Galaxy was simply a Galaxy S II with stock ICS. Whats worst is that certain components of the Nexus Galaxy were actually worst than on the GSII. There was no reason that the Nexus Galaxy should have had a worst camera than its older relatives.

Like the original Nexus One, I really love to see a phone that pushes the envelope not only in software but in hardware as well.

As a former owner of a HTC Passion (Nexus One) and a current owner of the Galaxy Nexus, I can’t tell you how much better the build quality on the Samsung is.

Samsung generally excel in hardware and blow chunks in software, having them make the Nexus phones works out perfectly because you get the raw cooked build of the latest Android source code running on awesome hardware instead of hiding behind Touchwiz, which is just messy.

I also own the Nexus One and the Galaxy Nexus. It’s amazing to me how much better the build quality is on the Nexus One versus Galaxy Nexus. GN feels like a toy, while the Nexus One has solid weight and held up over two years of use. I don’t see the GN holding up that long.

As a current Nexus One owner, I have to disagree with you, having to send the phone back to HTC cause the touch digitiser broke, then having the same thing happen 3 months later, would cast doubt on it being a solidly constructed phone.

Second, I can’t even tell you how many times the power button has broke on my phone and how many times I’ve had to send it back, to have it replace. My phone is still on warranty more than two years later with their policy of a 3 month extension on things they’ve had to repair.

The Nexus One was very decent, won’t knock that one, the Nexus S wasn’t quite there yet IMO but the Galaxy Nexus is simply amazing all around. The weight, build and shape just feels perfect. Well, I guess your mileage does vary…

I do like the Nexus name. I don’t really mind simple number iterations, either. I’d assume they would call it the Nexus 4 if it weren’t for the stigma of sounding like they’re 1 or 2 steps behind the iPhone.

I’d be okay with that if they hadn’t made the Nexus 7, or at least named it something that distinguishes it as a tablet (Nexus Tab 7).
The nexus names are – at this point – too arbitrary to go back to simple numbering.

I’m pretty disappointed in this announcement though. The NS and Gnex are both really nice devices (and gnex is great with jellybean) but as others have pointed out Samsung doesn’t generally work too hard to push the envelope for the nexus devices. They just throw stock on a phone they have, downgrade the camera, call it a nexus and ship – all while working on their next awesomely specced branded device with touchwiz.

At this point it seems like samsung is just EXPECTING to be told to build it, and they don’t need to compete, and I don’t think that’s what the original intent of the nexus program was.

As someone that actually owned a Droid charge and currently has a gnex, there is no comparison. The minor bugs that can be frustrating and irritating do not hold a candle to how bad a phone the charge was.

You might want to move out of the country for the REAL Nexus experience. Google has already explained the issue with these US-carrier backed Nexus devices. I’m just going to buy my next Nexus str8 from Google, and hopefully its $400 again — cop that in a heartbeat!

The world uses GSM, so it only makes sense that Google would only make the true Nexus a GSM phone. Verizon is big but not that big. Plus if you’ve been following what T-Mobile has up their sleeves, you would make the jump sooner than later. A LTE network that falls back onto their HSPA+ network is going to be much faster that Verizons network. T-Mobile will rise out of the Ashes of the failed AT&T merger (thank God). And be a force to be reckoned with.

It’s not just that: GSM is a standard that’s built for interoperability, and it’s generally a more ‘open’ standard that doesn’t tie you to a carrier. Once a phone is certified as GSM compliant, you can pop in your SIM (from any network you like) and off you go. This is far more in line with the Nexus ideal than CDMA devices which are generally tied to, and will only work with, one carrier.

Granted there exists SIM-locked phones, but they can be unlocked, and you get this only if you buy a phone on contract, which is effectively a kind of hire-purchase so it’s not really your phone until the contract’s up. Buy off-contract and it’s unlocked from the get-go.

The Galaxy Nexus is the best example yet of this carrier-independent mobility, as its pentaband radio will work on pretty much any GSM network out there.

How did Samsung get the contract of another nexus phone I want the next nexus phone to be made by HTC ever since the first nexus one. Samsung made the nexus s and the galaxy nexus already its time for other cellphone manufacturer to have a chance on the nexus train especially HTC lol. But whatever if its not LG I’m good.

I like Samsung, but I would have liked to have seen someone else to get the contract. I think the Nexus phone is a chance to show off hardware and software in harmony… Samsung has had their go and been successful. But, in the name of what makes Android what it is (a wide choice of hardware options) I would like to see the hardware come from another manufacturer.

I agree, even though I have to admit that I’m a huge fan of Samsung’s mobile offerings since the original Galaxy S.
Generally, the thought of Samsung hardware and pure Google software fills me with bliss but I still would rather see a bit of a “round robin” scheme so the other manufacturers get their turn as well.
Variety and choice is always best for consumers in the end, which is why things shouldn’t go stale.

Dare I say Motorola? The OG Droid was still one of the best phones ever made. And was essentially a Nexus device before they existed. And now that Google owns Moto, it should be simple to make a phone that is the model for all others!

Seriously. What was the point of buying them, other than the patents?! If you own a handset manufacturer, make the best damn possible hardware and software to work together without bugs and make the software updates syncrinous across all carriers like Apple does.

Because you lose choice. Everything woud be cookie cutter. All manufactures have different devices that makes their phone experience unique from the others which makes syncrinous software updates pretty impossible. It’s a small treade off for indidual expression as it pertains to modifying your phone.

Using Moto right now would just piss off all the other OEMs. While I believe Google has bigger plans for Motor than just using the patents (a cheaper licensing deal would have solved the patent issue), I don’t think using Motor for a Nexus device any time soon is good idea.

Samsung is actually a much larger company than Google by several orders of magnitude. Furthermore, they have a huge, varied portfolio of products while Google is basically only information technology. Samsung Group’s revenue last year was $221 Billion while Google’s was only about $40 Billion. Google couldn’t buy Samsung if they wanted to.

I understand exactly how CDMA works and the need for proprietary binaries. Doesn’t mean that Verizon can’t take the update from Google when its released, recompile it with their binaries and push it out.

There was no need for the CDMA/LTE Nexus to be delayed as much as it was because of bloatware and/or Google Wallet issues that Verizon didn’t like.

Really? Were going off speculation from Digitime? Where Jelly Bean hasn’t even been shown. Which means no phone maker has a prototype to even demo. Oh and HTC is making a FB phone and the iPhone 5 is coming this summer. Stop making crap up.

I love Samsung and it is my favorite manufacturer in a number of things. But I just feel they should let another one have a shot. Since the looks of the Big G doing something with Moto seem far, I would have to say my pick would be HTC.

Yeah, feeling the same. Although I think they have to treat extremely carefully about being seen as favoring Moto for a while yet. I can totally see them get the next Nexus after the very next one though, and I would have expected LG or HTC getting a run rather than sticking with Samsung.

This is disappointing. The Galaxy Nexus was a great phone, but not really any better than the HTC Rezound. HTC has shown just as much innovation as Samsung and should be the next to manufacture a Nexus device.

All Motorola devices can become Nexus devices if they use stock Android. The updates would have to come from Google anyway, since they own it now. So yeah. Just not sure if they will do that, which would be pretty silly if they didn’t and kept customizing Motorola’s devices.

I look forward to the next Samsung nexus only because it’s hard to imagine dropping my galaxy nexus for anything right now…so maybe a similar step forward from them will be a good next choice.

From a fairness perspective it seems problematic though. I thought really everyone would get a turn at this. I expect Samsung is exerting their influence to lock this down from other companies (SAMOLED mostly as every nexus so far has had it, seems to be kinda a standard)

The problem with using samsung is they make the Nexus phones when a month later release a better & higher spec phone that kills the sales of the Nexus. Not sure if it Google’s fault for not asking for better specs, or Samsung that keeps its new chips, camera sensors Hidden from google?

I would prefer a Mototola Nexus, but I guess Google did not choose Motorola for this Nexus (maybe the following nexus) because the other manufactures would have cried fix because they are now owned by google????

I like Sammy a lot. I just hope its not to much of a spin off. Try and break the barrier with specs that couldn’t make this years summer phones because it wasn’t ready and give it to the Nexus. Other wise rooting any Galaxy phone including the S III and slapping a stock ICS or Jelly Bean ROM would be the same.

I’m a Samsung fan, and I’d like to see someone else get the next Nexus. Sammy has already had two in a row, so I think it would be good to see someone else take a crack at it. If Google is going to start enabling this phone to be bought off contract, directly from them, this will be awesome.

Is there anyway they could make two models, one for GSM and one for CDMA? Is that even possible? That way, all four major US carriers could have access to a pure Google phone.

1) not exactly THE stellar source…
2) It’s Nexus…not samsungus….support for updates to the Nexus line has declined for all Samsung phones in the lineage…
3) Despite gripes….Samsung is leading the Android pack and the others are scrambling to keep up.
4) Nexus…..some manufacturer variety would be nice.

I would have liked to see another OEM get the next Nexus as well, that being said I love my Galaxy Nexus and can’t wait to see what Samsung will do with the next nexus. I’d love to see that new Youm screen on a Nexus!

Really, Google? How about HTC or Sony or, shocker, Moto? Guess the Nexus “brand” really is dead. This was the perfect opportunity to pull the Nexus in-house and take a more Apple-like approach to it, especially since they’re once again selling phones directly to consumers. At the end of the day, I suppose it’s only about dollars and cents, and you certainly can’t argue with Samsung’s Galaxy line sales numbers…

Samsung makes the best phones.From what i hear,there chips and screens r the best in the biz,why go backwards.Im a big sammy fan tho…lol
But thats why apple looks to sammy 75% of there,products(ipad iphone)is made by sammy(the most major things like chips and screens

I suppose the biggest bummer if this rumor is true…..is that it would be a Galaxy S III variant Nexus, not a unique* device that pushes the envelope…….and that Verizon would do the same again – no GSIII, Verizoned Nexus..

Note…*unique…hasn’t really come to the Nexus line in the past – Nexus S probably closest due to NFC, “curve” and Nexus 1 was a Desire….

I think it will atleast come with A15 Dual-Core, and i might just be getting my hopes up, but it would be awesome if they kinda got A15 Quad Core as that would hit that magical timing the Nexus One had at the time.

Like a lot of people have said, I’ll echo the sentiments of wanting a truly pure Good experience. Last time around, Verizon still slapped some of their terrible apps and add-ons over stock Android and deviated from the Nexus philosophy. Chances are, they’ll do it again, but I can still hold out hope for the next Nexus being what its supposed to be.

In all real honesty, this seems to be the best choice with Motorola locking bootloaders (and obvious publicity reasons on Google’s part), HTC thinking that “slim is in,” and giving LG a chance? Really? Samsung has been consistent with the Galaxy S line and the hype and anticipation surrounding the GSIII. This is Google capitalizing on all the momentum it can get.

To all those saying that Google should “give other manufacturers a chance,” keep in mind that they probably did. From everything that I’ve heard about the Nexus program, multiple manufacturers create designs and submit spec sheets and from those Google chooses one to become the next Nexus. If Google has indeed chosen Samsung, it’s not a reluctance to give others a chance, it’s a sign that Samsung was simply the best.

HTC had one major flaw, the non removable battery in the One series will turn a lot of people off. What will you do when the phone freezes up on you? Can’t take the battery out and restart it. I guess just cross your fingers and hold down the power button and hope it reboots before your finger starts to hurt. Love the look of HTC phones but let me take the battery out please.

Thank you! I can’t believe how many people are crying foul over the lack of a removable battery. Tablets are just as susceptible to lockups as phones are, and they don’t have removable batteries. Holding the power button for x seconds to disengage a hardware circuit is nothing new.

I was really hoping for htc. But since htc would have taken out sense out since nexus phones are completely android its not really a big deal. Now the biggest thing for me is battery life and bootloader unlocking. The better the battery life the more of a chance of me choosing that phone.

I wish each of the big OEM’s each came out with their own “nexus” with stock android and whatever specs they wanted to put in it. I think going that route could really be great for every manufacturer. I mean imagine if you had the choice between 3-4 stock devices that received updates right from Google. One can dream anyway.

I love Samsung devices and I believe they have the ability to deliver but I hope that this time around they put a little more effort on the nexus because the last time around the Galaxy S II was far superior to the Galaxy Nexus…

This makes me curious/excited to see what’s next. Next January i will be up for an upgrade. And with the iPhone 5 due i might bid farewell to Android. But if the next Nexus is kick ass (and out on sprint) then who knows… i might bein the market

Didn’t Google say they would be passing it around, or am I having false memories? Man its like Samsung can do no wrong these days. I really hope they improve their build quality moving forward. Its not like they’re short on revenue. Yet you have HTC, who has actually been hurting lately, still putting more into the physical build of their phones, and even taking it a step further with the One S.

I really do find it funny how people call plastic cheap. It shows that you truly know nothing about it. There are many types of plastic some are very cheap others more expensive then metals. The upside to choosing plastics is the durability of the device. Plastics tend to absorb impacts better and are generally lighter and easier to use in a manufacturing process. Metals tend to crack or fracture when subject to impact (this does depend on the metal but I can’t see them using titanium on a phone). In short plastics or other composite materials are generally going to be better for this type of device.

I find it funny how eager people are to defend plastic, even when it’s not under attack. Did you read the post you were replying to? “Cheap feeling plastic” does not imply that all plastic is cheap. You could’ve saved yourself a long rant. Nokia and HTC are using nice plastics, Samsung is not. I say this as an owner of a Galaxy Nexus.

Even besides that, Samsung has absolutely no sense of design whatsoever, which is the main reason I want HTC to return to making Nexus phones. But that’s probably not going to happen.

I would like to see a combo Nexus HTC to design the outer shell since I still would take the first NExus on looks alone then you could have Samsung throw in the Screen and CPU GPU and let Motorola drop in the antenna radio and we should have a great Nexus

Wish Sony would be given a chance, their phones are beautifuly designed and they make great cameras.
Im a GS2 user and am loving it, Samsung make incredible hardware, despite being many months older than the Galaxy Nexus the GS2 has the better CPU/GPU, camera, more memory plus expansion etc…thanks to Samsung going all out with it, but its time Google hand over the Nexus name to Sony or even back to Htc.

You have got to be kidding me. Sony? Talk about crap. Might as well hand it over to Motorola or LG while were at it right? There are two competitors in the Android world and that is Samsung and HTC Period!!

I started with Android from day one. I had the G1 and loved it but wished it didn’t have a keyboard (but the opening contraption was kind of cool). The build quality on it was pretty damn good and I loved using it. Then, I got the nexus one when it came out. Again, the build quality was amazing, but I feel there were other phones on the market at the time with more impressive screens. Either way, that phone also had great build quality… I wish the metal kept getting carried over though because its a nice design element and it much harder to scratch (I always keep my phones in top shape so I can sell them when the new one comes out so this was important to me). Following the cycle, I got the nexus s, though I hesitated in buying it for a while because of build materials and scale of upgrades when compared to the nexus one. I recently sold that phone on eBay so I was really able to give it a good once over before I sold it. Because of the build materials it used, it was prone to scratches, (especially the back cover). I wasn’t so eager to get the galaxy nexus but here I am, I got the white one. The build quality is much improved over the nexus s and it gives me a much more positive view of samsung. So, I guess I would just be satisfied having Samsung building the next one. To bring me to a higher level of satisfaction, id like to have an HTC build quality phone to call my own nexus.

It would be pretty interesting to see what Google and Asus would come up with for a phone. We hopefully don’t have to wait much longer to see what they come up with for a tablet though. Bring on the Nexus tablet!!

Wrong y’ALL!I’d have liked MOTO to have built the next Nexus.U can’t fault the RAZR Maxx as a smartphone.Galaxy phones don’t come CLOSE.Neither in battery stand-by,neither in build-quality.Not to mention Sammy’s Horrific Widgets(the Orange Contact widget!yuck!).Also the RAZR’s UNIQUE shape makes it stand apart from the Samsungs ANY day!

I think Google is choosing Samsung not because Samsung is the top vendor. It is because Google is afraid Samsung can ditch Android with their new OS called Tizen. That’s why Google chose Samsung again and if Samsung keeps developing Tizen during next year Google maybe will choose Samsung one more time.

This is a great choice made by Google. Samsung has earned these opportunities and clearly the Galaxy S3 impressed many at google plex. Just keep it off Verizon and sell it from day one on the Google Play store. All other devices i have ever owned have been all CDMA devices time for a change. I kick sprint to the curb and now verizon also will be ditched. Plus Verizon will never see another Nexus device again. Google knows better this time around to deal with Verizon. No carrier will ever be bigger than Google/Android Verizon needs to read that memo. Piss on big red and that trolling gay college boy squiddy20..Ha ha ha…

Here we go again…
1. “No carrier will ever be bigger than Google/Android” Newsflash: Google/Android are not “carriers”. Carriers are the likes of Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon, AT&T, Metro PCS, Cricket, etc. And you told me I needed to be “better educated”. Ha. Okay. Whatever you say “O Intelligent One”.
2. “All other devices i have ever owned have been all CDMA devices” …and yet you’ve said you owned a Galaxy S II Skyrocket (for about 4 weeks) from AT&T, a GSM carrier. Could you be any more contradictory and stupid?
3. Again with the “piss on x” insult? Good lord you must really have a scat and pissing fetish, because that’s all you ever really talk about doing. Here’s an “intelligent” idea, why don’t you start talking like an adult instead of a 6 year old child? Maybe then people would actually take you seriously.

Richard, I will try once, and only once more to try to reason with you. Rather than acting like an asshole to everyone, and using threats that any thinking man would never use (at least under his real name), why don’t you just say “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to offend any racial group, people of various sexual orientations, or to call people bums, broke losers, and the way I’ve acted.”
I can’t speak for everyone, but I think I can speak for a lot of people when i say that if you stopped trying to be a know-it-all-know-nothing-jerk, you acted somewhat humble, and asked for actual advice rather than “I’m doing serious research”, people would help you. Hell, I would help you. If you did, I could pretty much guarantee that everyone who flames you, would actually help you with a tech issue, and walk you through it. Everyone needs to start somewhere. If you do own a GNex, force updates, are incredibly easy, and rooting one isn’t hard either. A lot of people have went from noobs to coders that way. You could at least have people who wanted to help you because you were nice to people.
I’m more than likely wasting my time, but this is the one and only offer to knock off the BS and act like a grown man. Before you automatically respond with a typical Richard Yarrell repsone, try to really think about this. I really don’t want to take the other path, not because I like you, but becauise if something happens to you (which it will), I can live with a clear conscience knowing that I really did try.

Here we go again…
1. “No carrier will ever be bigger than Google/Android” Newsflash: Google/Android are not “carriers”. Carriers are the likes of Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon, AT&T, Metro PCS, Cricket, etc. And you told me I needed to be “better educated”. Ha. Okay. Whatever you say “O Intelligent One”.
2. “All other devices i have ever owned have been all CDMA devices” …and yet you’ve said you owned a Galaxy S II Skyrocket (for about 4 weeks) from AT&T, a GSM carrier. Could you be any more contradictory and stupid?
3. Again with the “piss on x” insult? Good lord you must really have a scat and pissing fetish, because that’s all you ever really talk about doing. Here’s an “intelligent” idea, why don’t you start talking like an adult instead of a 6 year old child? Maybe then people would actually take you seriously.

One of my FAVORITE things about the Nexus one was the awesome little case it came with, i dont know what it was made from but that thing was amazing! It was’nt to think and was still a bit squishy, and it was slightly water proof! Over the 2 years i had that phone there was not a scratch on the screen. Whereas My Galaxy Nexus already has a couple of tiny scratchs and i still havent found a similar case for it!
I dont care about the manufacturer! I just wasnt a awesome pouch!

The only reason Google picked Samsung is to show the strongest Android maker that they are not favoring Motorola.

The choice is only between Samsung and HTC as the other manufacturers are not up to quality spec yet. LG has to many problems, Motorola would show favoring their new child and anger other manufacturers. Sony making beautiful phones but only single core so not up to high end phones. And the other manufacturers only make low end phones do if they make a nexus it won’t sell as much.

well being that the whole idea of the nexus phone is a nex gen phone for developers to tinker with, samsung’s hardware is more “open” than htc’s selection (im a htc fan btw)…its qualcomm(closed) vs samsung (open)… as far as information on hardware for the developers to work on… thats why you find the galaxy line of phones with “unbrickable mods”… data sheets on samsung’s hardware is out in the open for developers and all to see, which leads to a better phone to develop with… qualcomm+nvidia will never do that and so if htc want to get back the nexus title they’ll have to show google they can make a device worthy of the nexus title… htc should go for texas instrument’s omap processor (which motorolla keeps locked down) because its open and very competitive in the soc wars… open hardware+open os (android of course)+unlocked phone = nexus brand imo…

come on now… Give someone else a chance HTC litterly MADE YOU Android and Motorola Progressed you well actually Verizon did with its Droid branding… But really IMO the Nexus One was one of the BEST! Phones ever…. Give another shot HTC is great without sense.

While Samsung does have a nice overall aesthetic, it is starting to get old and boring. I would really like to see someone new. Sony would be my pick. The New Xperia S is a pretty sweet looking phone. If they were given the chance to make the Jellybean phone I’d be happy.

I have own all three nexus devices. But far, my favorite was the htc nexus one as I had and used it the longest. The overall feel and build quality was really good at the time. I think with the galaxy nexus, Samsung didn’t push it the hardware enough, it has a cheap feel to it. I wouldn’t mind seeing Sony make a nexus device, their phones lineup are looking pretty good now.

I personally think HTC should had the chance….i think Googkle is rolling with Sammie on this because of the success the company been having of last year…If Samsung keeps rolling like this then there you have it til another company come close to their numbers.